Following is an account of my own experience of buying a car for the first time in my life. Through the article, I would like to guide you through the journey of becoming a first-time car owner.
From Accident to Action: Why I Chose to Buy a Car
It all started on a November afternoon in 2023 when my dad met with a minor accident on his way to the market in his Yamaha Ray Z scooter. He had a cramp in his left leg, so I had to take him for Physiotherapy once a week.
Our family never owned a car, so we mostly relied on Ola and Uber platforms. Unfortunately, during one of those visits to the hospital, we were unable to book a ride due to monsoon rains. This left my father stranded at home in pain.
That moment hit me hard. I was 30 years old, had a decent job, yet didn’t own a car.
Before this incident, a car was out of my radar because I didn’t know how to drive one, and I only had a two-wheeler license. I know, a typical middle-class hunk 😅.
Now, the urgency to own a car started the fire inside me. Moreover, it was an emotional decision. So I started the hunt.
Fixing the Budget: How Much Should a First-Time Buyer Spend?
The most important factor was how much I should spend on the car. Working in the finance sector for the past 5 years has made me understand the true value of money. Therefore, I was a bit reluctant to spend much.
Being a first-time car buyer, I fixed my budget between 7 and 10 lakh. After considering all the loan options and expenses, I fixed at 10 lakh. I knew that anything more than 10 lakh would definitely put unnecessary pressure on my finances in the long run.
Brand Selection: My Value-for-Money Approach
I am the first generation in my family who has taken up this decision to buy a car 🙄 so I had to start from scratch. For 2 months, I visited all the brand showrooms and got a lot of quotations under 10 lakh and also got inputs from my friends. Then I spent hours on YouTube reviews and online blogs.
After all that research, I concluded that there is nothing called a “perfect car”. Even a guy who bought a BMW for 60 lakh was complaining as much as a guy who owned a Maruti S-presso worth 6 lakh. That’s when I decided to narrow my choice down using a few key criteria.
- Maintenance cost (mileage, spares availability, reliability)
- Resale value after 5 years of use
- Ease of driving for first time car owner
After checking the above 3 points, I left out Tata, Hyundai and Kia. Even though Tata Altroz was my favourite car under the budget of 10 lakh, horror stories of Tata’s after-sales services made me neglect Tata products [sorry, Mr Ratan Tata].
Why I skipped Hyundai and Kia was that I liked i20 for the comfort, but the mileage figures were bad, and it’s a driver-specific car, and I am not an enthusiastic driver. Kia was out of my budget, and so are the Germans.
The Winner: VFM King
My bad, it’s our Maruti Suzuki Baleno Zeta variant with a manual gearbox. I know people will definitely troll my decision, but what to do, it is my typical Indian middle-class VALUE FOR MONEY 💰 mindset.
I already stated that I am a first-generation car buyer, so I wanted a car with fewer headaches. A few of my friends called the car “tin ka dabba” but the new model of Baleno after 2022 is quite good in build quality compared to the old models.
I am telling you this because I experienced it first-hand when I met with an accident just seven months after purchase. I’ll get into that story in a bit.
Booking Experience: The Real Struggle Behind the Purchase
I visited n number of Maruti Nexa showrooms. Before that, I visited Maruti Arena showrooms, but Baleno was a Nexa product, which you can only book in their Nexa outlets, quite a marketing trick by Maruti to extract additional charges 😉.
Days passed, but none of the Nexa outlets in my city gave me a clear breakdown of the quotation due to year-end sales. Later, I got frustrated to the core as they suggested me to go for the Fronz Delta variant or Ignis Zeta, what the hell…I took a break from the search.
On the morning of 4th Jan 2024, I got a call from the sales team 😇 telling me that there is an opulent red colour Baleno Zeta manual in their stock yard, which is 100 kms away from my place.
I immediately applied for leave from work and took off to the yard without having breakfast. Finally closed the deal with all offers at 9.57 lakh on road 🙌. I paid the booking amount of Rs 5000 via GPay.
Since I managed to get the car under a year-end offer, it was ready within just two days after completing all the inspections. I went ahead and paid the remaining amount as well.
And then came the twist – I suddenly realised I had completely forgotten about my four-wheeler driving licence 😳. My senior manager, who was with me during the final payment, burst out laughing when I told him that I don’t have a four-wheeler license.
The sales clerk overheard it, and the entire showroom was gossiping about my situation while I was waiting at the customer cabin.
Delivery Day: A Moment I’ll Never Forget
My bad, I had to extend the delivery date to February 25th 2024, from January 11th, so that I can apply for LLR to obtain my driving license.
So on Feb 25th, after 3 months of rigorous research and struggle, here I am sitting in the passenger seat of my new car with wet eyes surrounded by my family and friends.
I couldn’t drive the car because my four-wheeler license is due on March 10th. My senior manager was kind enough to drive the car to my home, and I had to wait another 10 days for the license before I could finally get behind the wheel 🙃. It all felt like a dream come true.
When the car reached home, my amma performed a pooja in front of it with a warm, emotional smile, while my appa stood beside her. It was a feeling I still can’t fully put into words.
How Much Does It Drink? My Real-World Mileage Experience
Well, it’s been a year now, and the car has crossed over 8000 km. I have literally driven it in hills (Ooty, Kodaikanal, Wayanad), cities and highways between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The mileage in city traffic as well as in hills is 14-17 kmpl with 5 passengers and full loaded boot.
On highways, the efficiency is where the car truly shines. Maintain a steady speed of 80–90 km/h with the engine running between 2,000–3,000 rpm, and the mileage easily climbs to 22–24 kmpl, which is impressive and almost comparable to a diesel car.
To sum it up,
- Hills/city traffic= 14 to 17 kmpl
- Highways= 22 to 24 kmpl
Engine & Driving Experience
Engine Specs
- 1.2 litre K12 engine
- No turbo
- 89 horses of power with 113 Nm torque
- 5 speed gearbox
For full specs, you may visit the Maruti Baleno specifications page.
The Baleno is my first car, so my opinion on engine performance is more of a positive approach, as I haven’t driven diesel or turbo-petrol cars before. That said, the K12 engine developed by Suzuki is truly impressive – a reliable Japanese gem.
The clutch is light and responsive, making it ideal for first-time drivers, and the engine feels rev-happy on highways (covered 600 km in 12 hours non-stop).
Moreover, it’s a proven engine; my friend’s 2019 Baleno has already crossed the 1 lakh km mark with regular service intervals.
The manual gearbox – I like to call it the butter box – is incredibly smooth and almost silent during shifts. The gears slot in effortlessly, like a knife gliding through butter. Paired with a light clutch, this smooth gearbox makes the Baleno a comfortable and enjoyable choice for long drives.
Build Quality: Is It Really a ‘Tin Dabba’?
This is where Maruti cars get bashed by all human beings born on the Indian soil. Slogans like “tin ka dabba”, “coffin on 4 wheels” and “population reducer” are the normal trending keywords when you search about the build quality of MS cars, but people still buy them.
As for me, I did my own research and analysis before buying one and here are the key factors I considered.
- Baleno before 2022 had inferior build quality, and the sheet metal thickness was less than that of an A4 paper.
- But after 2022, Maruti has increased the weight of the car from 890 kg to 985 kg, and the sheet metal used this time was even better.
- I choose Zeta variant with 6 airbags.
Apart from these, I had my own experience of the build quality on 16th Feb 2025 when I met with a major accident. Thankfully, my wife and I walked away without a single scratch.
The A and B pillars remained completely intact, showing no impact👌while only the front crumple zone of the car got damaged.
The accident happened when an elderly driver, in a hurry, rammed into my car. I’ve attached photos below to give a clearer idea of the damage.
Where the Baleno Falls Short
So far, I have only mentioned the positives of the car, but this platform, a2zreviews, was started with a motive of helping buyers make a decision by analysing the facts and experiences of other buyers, so it’s important to mention the drawbacks of Baleno as well.
Here we go. I have divided them into two categories.
Less Impact Negatives
- The rattling noise inside the car cabin started from the 3rd month itself. Maruti definitely needs to work on it. It’s annoying at times to hear a rattling noise whenever the car goes on unevenly patched roads.
- Hard plastics usage inside the cabin feels old school. Kia and Hyundai are way ahead with soft-touch plastic material.
- The quality and design of ORVMs can be improved. Maruti uses the same ORVMs for all its Nexa products (cost-cutting at its peak).
- Outside road noise is noticeable in the car cabin during peak traffic. After-market damping can be done to solve this.
- The AC cooling effect between the 2019 and 2022 models of the same car shows a significant difference. The compressor in the new BS6 engine is quite sluggish.
- Suspension is too soft, which is good for patchy roads, but on highways, it’s a pain as it lowers your confidence to cruise.
- OEM fog lamps are the worst. Need to change them for better visibility in the hills.
High Impact Negatives
- In a highway straight line, the acceleration of the car is not confidence-boosting. It’s advisable to maintain the car below 100 km/hr.
- Steering feedback in turns is very inadequate. You need to focus and judge well for the correct alignment of wheels.
- During rain, the wipers’ functionality is not up to the mark as visibility is dismal.
- Brakes are a little spongy as they don’t bite well in speeds above 90 km/hr. So it’s a pain on highways, but for city driving, it’s good.
Is Baleno worth buying? My Final Verdict
There’s no such thing as a “perfect car.” What matters most is whether a car fits your needs and, more importantly, your budget 💰.
For me, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno stands out as a great value-for-money choice for first-time buyers, thanks to its low maintenance costs and high resale value.
Ultimately, the right decision depends on your priorities. The best approach is to weigh your requirements carefully before making the call.